City Lights
by themessofadreamer
Summary: In that moment, it was only Mitchie, Alex and the night. Nothing else seemed to matter. The past, the fights, the lies, everything was forgotten. Everything was just alright, under the city lights.
1. Hello Moon

**Hola!  
**

**I'm taking the semester off and I have a lot, lot, lot of free time right now. So, I thought to myself 'why not to write something?' and that's how I ended up here. ****If you follow me on twitter ( HeyThereDelena), you probably know I have an irrational love for the moon and a particular city. So, that's where this is going to come from. It's** not going to be too long, but we will see how it goes. I hope you enjoy it and well, let me know what you think about it in a review and all. Thanks!

**Italics are flash backs. **

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own the characters. However, I do own the plot so there is that. **

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**Chapter I:**

**Hello Moon**

"And that's how I came up with that." Alex finished saying, as the girl sitting in front of her nodded, clearly uninterested in the story she was telling. Alex sighed, looking around, trying to come up with a new conversation topic, repeatedly cursing her best friend in her mind for setting up dates for her, just as she cursed herself as well, for still accepting them.

Linda, Alex's date, took a sip of her drink and started telling Alex about some dress she bought a week before. Alex just wanted to smack her face against the table.

When had dating become so hard? A few years back, it all seemed so simple. You see someone you like, do your best to have them like you back and then be together until everything faded away. She had done fairly well during her high school years. She had dated a few girls, maybe two or three, until _she _came along. Miley Stewart, Alex's very first love. She was sixteen when she met her and got her feet sweep off the ground. Alex spent her entire sophomore year trying to find a way to talk to Miley, to be friends, to get to know her, but nothing ever seemed to work. Miley never seemed to notice Alex's efforts and after a while, the raven haired girl gave up. At the end of the year, Miley switched schools and it was all done. However, during the summer before senior year, Miley and Alex ran into each other at a random store, said their respective hellos and talked about their lives. After spending a few hours that felt more like minutes talking, they exchanged numbers and promised to stay in touch as much as they could and, keeping their promise, as the months passed they started getting closer and closer. By the end of November, they couldn't help but accept they had a thing for each other and started dating. That relationship lasted a little over a year. They loved each other a lot, but Miley's goals and Alex's goals were completely different to one another and time wasn't being kind to them, so eventually, the relationship couldn't keep going. They tried to be friends after their break up, but having so much history behind them, it was pretty much impossible and they finally gave everything up. Not long after that, Miley took an exchange program at her university and moved god knows where, leaving Alex to her luck, still a little heartbroken.

Maybe then was when the problem started. Her friends seemed to agree on that – All the girls she dated after Miley seemed to be similar to her. If it wasn't the looks, it was the way they talked, and if it wasn't that, they had similar ideas. Obviously, none of those relationships after Miley could work and Alex eventually gave up on love. Being a sophomore at college, she decided to concentrate on school and forget about dating for a long time and thanks to that decision, for her senior year at college, her schedule was so light it gave her the opportunity to do well in school, keep a job and still have a lot of free time. So, after maybe two years of not dating, she tried to give it a shot and asked Harper, her best friend, to set up a date for her. And when that date didn't work, Harper set another. And another, and another.

By that point, the only thing Alex wanted to do was to hide forever and never face a girl again.

Alex sighed one more time, resting her chin on her palm as she looked at Linda, trying her best to look like she was paying attention, glancing around from time to time to see if there was anyone else that looked like they felt the same way she did. For all she could see, everyone there seemed to be having the time of their lives. Forks and spoons against plates, small talks, glasses of wine against glasses of wine in a toast, laughs, everything seemed more interesting that the monologue going on in her table. Specially the laughs, one in particular. That laugh was loud, but so cheerful it made you want to laugh along. It was comfortable, almost familiar.

A little too familiar, actually.

Alex moved her head a little to where she could hear the laugh coming from and tried to look by the corner of her eye. It was a girl with long dark hair and a big smile on her face. She was sitting with a group of friends, one of them telling the story that was making the girl laugh. Alex couldn't really tell how she looked like, but she didn't want to be rude and turn more to see who the girl was when she was_ trying _to pay attention to her date.

"Alex!" said date whisper-yelled, taking the girl right out of her thoughts. _Oh, damn it._ She thought.

"Yes, what?" Alex said, forcing a smile. Linda tried not to roll her eyes.

"Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" apparently it was just as rude to look away as to pretend, because Linda seemed offended.

"Yes, of course, you were talking about your dress…"

Linda raised a brow at Alex and took her purse. That wasn't good, was it? "Alex, seriously, if you didn't want to come on a date with me you could have said so."

"But I–"

Linda stood up, moving her blonde hair from her shoulder. "I think we're just wasting our time here and…"

Alex stood up as well. "Linda, I–"

"… We should just be friends. This is going nowhere." Linda looked at Alex with her big blue eyes. "Goodbye, Alex."

Alex knew better than to fight against her and ask her to stay, because she knew that was what Linda wanted. And let's be honest, the raven haired girl was just as bored as Linda seemed to be when Alex was the one telling the story. So she only nodded her head and let the girl leave, clearly offended that Alex didn't stop her. Once Linda was out of sight, Alex ordered another drink and her check, a little relieved now that Linda was gone. It was rude of her, yeah, but the girl wasn't even her type to begin with. And she never had a thing for blondes, anyway.

When her drink and check arrived, Alex heard the laugh again. Losing not even second, she turned around, the girl with long dark hair and big smile fully coming to her sight. Yes, she had seen her before, Alex was sure of that. She was laughing at something the girl sitting next to her had said, other person that looked familiar, but her memory was failing her, as per usual.

From where did she know these people?

Moments like those were the only reason she hated to have gotten so into school. She had missed so much of the so called college life that she couldn't even remember people she was sure she had seen before. It was ridiculous. Alex bit her lip, as she tried to remember them, but eventually gave up when she realized it was no use. She looked at her bill and left the money required on it, to then stand up, take her coat and walk out of the restaurant as she put it on. Once out, the starless sky came to her view, being the moon and skyscrapers the only things she could see. It was full moon that night. As she walked down the street, she kept her eyes on the moon. She couldn't even remember when was the last time she took the time to admire the moon and in that moment, she regretted it. She only stopped because she couldn't find herself to love it the same way Mitchie did and it didn't feel right to –

Alex stopped in her tracks. "_Shit_." She whispered, holding the 'i' longer than necessary.

"_I just love it so much." Alex looked to her left, staring at the brunette sitting next to her on the grass with a face eating smile on her face. "Isn't it just magnificent? Like, really. There's nothing quite like it." _

"_You always say the same." Alex replied, making the other girl look at her with a raised eyebrow. "But tell me, what's behind it?"_

"_Behind what?"_

"_Your love for the moon. What makes it so special to you?" The brunette went back to looking at the full moon that adorned that night, placing both of her hands behind her head. Alex continued staring at her, patiently waiting for the answer. _

"_I don't think I have actually questioned myself about it." the other girl replied, softly. "I just remember looking at it one day when I was younger and thinking it was perfect, all of it." _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_The sky, the stars, the moon. It's all perfectly aligned. There's nothing quite like the night sky." Alex smiled, because she knew the brunette's motives would always be simple. She loved things because they were beautiful, because they inspired her something. And the moon, her favorite thing in the world, wouldn't be an exception. "However, I think I also love it because it's a metaphor to life."_

_Alex giggled. "Metaphors. Why I am not surprised, Mitchie?" the other girl chuckled, keeping her eyes on the moon as she playfully shoved Alex's arm. _

"_Oh, shut up and listen." Mitchie moved her hands from its previous position and pointed at the moon with the left, as she placed her right hand on her stomach, looking back at Alex. "You see, the moon, just like the stars, is always there. Even when it's new moon, it's there. When the clouds hide it, it still is there, right?" Alex nodded. "That's friendship to me." Mitchie put her hand down and placed on her stomach as well, continuing with her explanation. "Then, when I was in like elementary school or something, I found out that the moon needs of the sun to shine. So, I made that a way to see love."_

"_How?"_

"_Well, we always need of something or someone to shine. We might never say it, we might never think of it even, but once we find a motive to shine, we do it as bright as we can."_

_Alex giggled, yet again. "You are so corny, Mitch." Mitchie smiled, rolling her eyes. "I love it."_

"_Good, because, from now on, when you look at the moon, you probably will think of me and my corniness."_

Alex turned around, not moving from the place she was, staring at the restaurant's door. Then, she looked up again. "Mitchie Torres." A smile showed up on her face, for the first time that night. "Holy crap, it was Mitchie Torres."

How funny could life be? Was it possible that it had decided to bring a girl she had lost track off in the most random way back to her life in a way like that?

Alex walked back to the restaurant but stayed outside, being able to see Mitchie and her friends from the window. Of course she wasn't going to remember them, it had been like what? 5 years since they had seen each other? The shorter brunette had obviously changed a lot and so had done her best friend, Caitlyn, who was the girl sitting next to her.

Alex's smile grew bigger. "Well, then, hello moon. It's been a while." She put her hands inside her coat's pockets and walked away. She knew when a moment was right and that really wasn't. The way things had gone with Mitchie weren't the most appropriate for her to just go there and randomly approach her. But at least, for now, she knew Mitchie was in town. And she was not going to lose this opportunity to make things right.


	2. The Reason

**Thanks for the reviews and follows, you guys are awesome. This chapter is kind of a filler, but you'll get my point.** **Still, let me know what you think. You can either review or tweet me at HeyThereDelena. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. But I do own the plot, so there is that. **

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**Chapter II: The Reason**

The following day, first thing in the morning, Alex made her way to Harper's job. If there was one thing she was grateful about, it was how strong her friendship with the redhead had been. They had known each other basically their entire lives and even when people, time and distance got between them, they found their way to keep a strong friendship over the years. Now, it was rare for them to hang out –Harper had two jobs and a busy senior year to keep up, but Alex tried to visit Harper as much as she could at any of her two jobs. It worked in Alex's favor, anyway, because she'd either get a free coffee or a free meal, depending on where Harper was working that day.

"What do you know about Mitchie Torres?" was the first thing Alex said as soon as she walked inside the coffee place, her best friend behind the counter. Harper looked up from cups she was organizing by size.

Alex sat in front of the counter and took a brownie from a basket. "Mitchie Torres?" Harper repeated, with a confused look in her face. Alex nodded, taking a bite of her brownie. "Mitchie Torres, the girl from Texas?" Alex nodded, again, as she swallowed.

"Do you know anything about her?" Alex asked, again, her voice sounding a bit raspier than it should have.

"Well, I know she used go to college somewhere here in New York, but she just finished. And she lives with her best friend, Caitlyn." Alex had a stunned look in her face.

"That is more information than I thought you'd have." Harper smiled, carrying on with her cup organizing. "Did you keep in touch with her?"

"No, not really. That was your friend more than mine." Harper replied. "Caitlyn, however, we text from time to time." Alex continued nibbling her brownie in silence. "Why the sudden interest?"

"I think I saw her yesterday." Alex replied, moving her long dark hair from her shoulder. "And I would like to, I don't know, try to talk her."

Harper laughed, taking a cup and a permanent marker. "You're an asshole."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You guys were so close one day and then strangers the other." Harper asked as she wrote on the cup. "Why would you talk to her now?"

Alex shrugged. "You said it yourself, we used to be close friends. I really enjoyed the time we spent together. " Harper served the cup with coffee. "I'd like to have that back, you know what I mean? It's been so long. We were young then and I was in a relationship with Miley." Harper rolled her eyes at the mention of her best friend's ex-girlfriend. "You know she's a jealous one."

"She never had problem with me."

"That's because you're straight and pretty much my sister, it would be just weird." She took another brownie.

Harper glared at her, pointing at her with her index finger. "You're paying for that one."

Alex took money out of her coat and put it on the counter. "So, do you think you could get Mitchie's number out of Caitlyn?"

Harper sighed, putting the cup of coffee in front of Alex and taking the money. "First of all, I want you to keep in mind that even when Mitchie Torres is a nice girl, she's a tough one, so you won't have it easy."

"I know, I know. I thought about it last night, that's why I didn't go talk to her when I saw her."

"Good. Second, look at your cup." Alex's face turned confused, again. She took the cup of coffee and turned it around, Mitchie's name and number written on it. Alex looked up to her best friend, smiling.

"You're the best, Harper."

Harper waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, now go away. My boss will come soon."

Alex leaned across the counter and took Harper's face with both hands, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Harper whined. "Thank you so much!" Alex exclaimed, before taking the cup and heading to the exit. "Oh, and Harper, by the way." Alex said, turning around before leaving. Harper raised both her brows. "Linda? That's the last time I let you set up a date for me."

Harper laughed, shaking her head and Alex left.

xxx

If there was one thing Mitchie Torres knew about life is that it never went the way we wanted, no matter how much we planned it. With no exception, things will always go the way they were supposed to. People spend their lives telling you this since you're very young, but it came clear to her after her high school graduation, when she picked up all her life savings, her car, her guitar and the few stuff that she could get inside of her trunk and got the hell out of Texas, making her way to the city that had been her dream for as long as she could remember: New York City.

At first, everything seemed to go as planned. She always was aware of how much she was going to struggle that she sometimes would even enjoy that struggle of living in one of the most expensive cities of the country. Hell, it had been what she had wanted all her life after all. However, with the years, it started getting exhausting. Whenever she would screw it up and she felt like giving up, she'd hear her father saying 'that isn't the way I raised you'. She'd feel like she was on the verge of insanity, to be quite honest. And she didn't have it _that _bad, being able to live with the only child of a wealthy family, her best friend Caitlyn Geller, that wouldn't allow her to pay her part of the rent as long as she cooked, but she was human and she'd get frustrated. The last thing she wanted and needed in that moment was for Alex Russo to come back into her life. So naturally, when she picked up the phone that day and Alex's voice came from it, she was two seconds away from throwing it across the room.

What even was this girl trying?

Now, let's not get the situation in a wrong way, Mitchie didn't hate Alex Russo at all. In fact, Mitchie had nothing but good words to say about the New Yorker. The problem was, after their friendship went down the drain because apparently Alex's girlfriend couldn't handle it –Mitchie never really understood it, but she didn't do anything about it either–, the only mention of Alex's name bothered her more than it should had. And if there was one thing that annoyed Mitchie more than anything it was the kind of people that put their relationships way before their friends. So as you can imagine, Alex Russo really wasn't Mitchie's favorite person in the world.

However, she still wasn't anyone to be rude to people, no matter how much she didn't like them. "Hey," Mitchie replied, unenthusiastically. "How did you get my number?"

"_Did some digging, talked to a couple friends, you know how it is._" Alex replied, clearly trying to be as smooth as possible. Typical Alex.

"You asked Harper, didn't you?"

"_Well then, Mitchie. Five years and you still see right through me, huh?" _Mitchie looked down at her lap, trying to suppress the smile that was making its way to her face.

"Some people don't change, I guess." The brunette replied. "What do you want?"

"_I was wondering if you'd like to hang out with me, I don't know._" Mitchie bit her lip. _No. Say no. "I heard you were in New York. I'd love to, you know, catch up and everything. It's been a while."_

"Oh, so Miley doesn't have a problem with it anymore?" Mitchie knew it was wrong to throw it in her face – we're all stupid when we're in love. But it was an issue that had bothered Mitchie for a long time and it was just so unfair for Alex to come around after so long. It was ridiculous, really.

"_Miley and I broke up a long time ago and–_"

"Oh, so that means you're bored and you suddenly decide you want to hang out with me?" Alex tried not to sigh in the other line. Harper had warned her, didn't she?

"_Of course it's not because of that, Mitchie, I just–_"

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Save it, I don't want to hear. Look you said it yourself. It's been five years. And I just told you, some people never change. I enjoyed the time we spent together as friends back in Texas but it is just ridiculous for you to call me after it was _you _who stopped talking to me because of your girlfriend. If it would have been another situation, maybe I'd consider it but not because of this. I'm not a second option, Alex. "

"_Come on, Mitchie, it's not like that."_

"Then, what is it?_"_

"_I miss you. We were great together. Mitch, we had fun times. I miss that. I know I was an asshole…"_

"You are."

"… _But I'm working on it. Come on, let me at least try._" You see, one thing Mitchie always hated about Alex was the way she knew exactly how to talk to her to confuse her. Maybe that was why she had avoided her all that time, because she didn't want to come to this. Not again.

_Say no. "Come on, Mitchie." _Alex's voice sounded hopeful.

_Say no. _"I'll think about it." Mitchie said with a deep breath, as her mind yelled at her for that.

Mitchie basically could her Alex's smile on the tone in her voice. _"That's enough for me. You have my number now, so call me or text me to let me know. Or I'll call you, as you prefer." _Mitchie smiled, a little.

"We'll see."

xxx

"Are you fucking serious?"

Now, there was another reason why Mitchie never tried to talk to Alex again. That reason had a name and happened to be Mitchie's best friend. For starters, Caitlyn never, _ever, _liked Alex Russo in the least. Nobody ever knew why, but Caitlyn really didn't like her. Once Mitchie and Alex stopped talking, Caitlyn when on and on about how that girl always was bad news. So maybe, some place along the way, Caitlyn got in Mitchie's head. She'd never know.

"I'm not letting you go out with this girl again," Caitlyn continued, during dinner time, as she furiously motioned at Mitchie with her fork. "That's bullshit, Mitchie."

"Well, I don't know, it's been such a long time…"

"And your point is? People never change, Mitchie. This girl is going to drop you once she finds a new girl to play with. That's how she is." Mitchie sighed and looked down, playing with the food in her plate.

"I don't know, Caitlyn."

"Come on, what are you trying to prove?" Mitchie looked up. "I know you always had her in a good concept, but she's no good."

Mitchie shrugged. "I don't want to prove anything. I just want to know what she wants."

Caitlyn pointed at Mitchie with her fork again. "Are you sure?"

Mitchie glared at her. "What would I even try to prove?"

"That you don't like her anymore." Caitlyn replied, with a serious look in her face. "That those five years really did its job and you forgot about it." Mitchie blinked a couple of times.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Caitlyn said, smirking, before taking the fork with food into her mouth.

"You know I stopped liking her like _that_ a very long time ago."

"And I believed you, Mitchie, but damn it, you _want _to go out with her." Mitchie raised both her eyebrows. "You wouldn't even be thinking about it if it wasn't that way. And that leads to think that maybe, just maybe, you still like her."

"I don't." Mitchie said, dropping her fork on the plate, rather rudely. Then, she stood up and took the plate, putting it on the sink.

"Come on, don't get mad. I'm just saying."

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "I won't go out with her. Happy?"

Caitlyn nodded, taking her glass of wine. "Very." She took a sip. "I'm just looking for what's better for you, Mitch."

"Yeah, whatever." Mitchie said in return and left the room. Caitlyn sighed and emptied her glass.

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**dun dun dun. What will happen? Review and I might tell you.**


	3. Waiting

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows I'm getting, you guys are awesome. Keep them coming, they motivate me to write faster. Now, I feel like this might be going slow, but be patient with me. **

**Enjoy!**

** Disclaimer: I don't know the characters, but I do own the plot, so there is that.**

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**Chapter III: Waiting**

It was really amusing for Harper how Alex had just ran into Mitchie, after years of both of them going to the same places. Alex obviously didn't know, but Mitchie would religiously visit the coffee shop where Harper worked every morning, asking for the exact same kind of coffee Alex would ask for. Harper would always offer to pay for it, but unlike Alex, she'd always deny and pay for it and a brownie she'd take from the basket, just like Alex. Harper sometimes wondered who picked that trait from the other, but never got around to ask. Then, Caitlyn liked to have lunch and read at the restaurant Harper worked at –therefore their still existent friendship– and Mitchie would always come by to pick up her best friend after a few hours, just around the same time Alex would get there to get her dinner. They always were just a couple minutes apart from each other. It was a cycle.

At first, Harper thought about telling her best friend about it. Back in the day, Harper always thought Mitchie was the right person for Alex. She had known the young Russo for as long as she could remember and she was completely sure she had never seen her have such a strong connection with someone else as she did with Mitchie, not even Miley herself. Alex always looked happy when Mitchie was around, but Alex never saw it. She was too obsessed with Miley to notice. So, when Harper found out Mitchie lived with Caitlyn, almost three or four years back, she thought about telling Alex. The girl had just recently broken up with Miley and needed a distraction.

What could have been better than someone that made her so happy?

She told Caitlyn about her idea and, of course, being as overprotective as she was when it came to her best friend, she denied her request. She didn't want Mitchie anywhere near Alex ever again and Harper knew better than to argue with Caitlyn, so she let it go. Never crossed her mind again, mostly because she thought they'd ran into each other at some point. She just never thought it'd take so long for it to happen.

So when she found her best friend walking in circles over and over in her apartment, while the redhead was doing homework, she asked herself if the jealousy Miley always sustained because of Mitchie ever was justified. She had never seen her that nervous.

"Alex, would you stop?" Harper said, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"She said she would call." Alex said as she ran her fingers through her hair, still walking in circles.

Harper sighed. "If she said she would call then she will, just relax."

"No, Harper, what if she really hates me?" Alex did actually sound genuinely worried. "I don't want her to hate me."

"She doesn't."

"How are you so sure? We haven't talked in years and I was an asshole to her. I shouldn't have called her. I am an idiot." Alex said, barely taking breaths between words, truly panicking.

To be honest, Harper found it adorable. She smiled. "She would have hung up as soon as she knew it was you if it was that way." Alex stopped in her place, her body relaxing a little, looking at her best friend with hopeful eyes. "Again, just relax."

The young Russo sighed loudly, throwing herself to the couch. "I hate waiting." She took a cushion and held it tight. "She never made me wait. And I hate she's doing it now, but I can't complain because she has the right to do it." Alex started playing with a loose thread in the cushion. "But I hate it."

"You are adorable."

"Shut up."

"Why are you so nervous, though? It's just Mitchie, Alex." Harper said, closing her notebook. Alex kept her eyes on the cushion.

"It's Mitchie, Harper." She murmured. "She's different. And I have been around so many girls that are just about the same that I can't wait to be with someone different, someone that makes me feel comfortable, some that can make me smile." She looked up. "And something tells me that even when she might have changed, Mitchie is still the silly funny girl we met back in Texas. And I don't want to give that up, not again."

That was the moment that Harper just_ knew._ And she smiled, because she knew her best friend so well to know she had no idea of the meaning behind her own words. "Alex, have you ever considered that maybe–" A phone started ringing and Alex got up from the couch as fast as she could, letting the cushion fall to the floor, taking her phone out of her pocket.

"Hey Mitchie! How's it going?"

Harper rolled her eyes at Alex's smooth tone and took the notebook, putting it on top a pile of other notebooks she had on her desk and took another, checking if she had any homework left while Alex talked on the phone. After a few minutes of not hearing anything, Harper looked up, just to find her best friend frowning.

Oh boy. "It's alright, don't worry about it." Alex scratched the back of her neck. "Well, if you change your mind, just call me, alright?" She sighed. "Yeah, take care." Alex said and hung up, keeping the phone in her hand and staring at it.

"She said no?" Harper asked, surprised.

Alex looked up and nodded, putting the phone back on her pocket. "She said she doesn't think it's a good idea."

"Well, Alex, at least you tried." The young Russo bit her lip.

"I…" She started. "I can't leave it like this."

Harper raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I can't leave it like this." Alex repeated, ignoring Harper's question. "I just–" Alex took her coat from the chair she had left on when she first got there, rapidly putting it on. "I'll talk to you later, Harp."

"Alex, what are you –"

"I'll explain later!"

xxx

"Do you think I did right, Shane?" Mitchie said, looking at guy sitting next to her, working something on the computer. "I mean, I know I shouldn't go out with Alex. I just, kind of feel bad about it."

In the time Mitchie had in New York, she had made some fantastic friends that were helping her with what she wanted to do in life. Truth was she had only attended college to please her parents, but the only thing she really wanted to do in life was music. However, now that school was over and she could finally take care of what she wanted to do, she realized that in the lost years she had turned it more into a hobby than anything else and it was being a bit hard to get back on track. But she wasn't ready to give up on that dream just yet and she'd spend most of her free time at the small recording studio Shane Gray owned, who was the most supportive of her friends when it came to music.

"Why?" the guy asked, without taking his eyes away from the computer.

"For a change, she really wanted to go out with me." Mitchie continued and Shane absentmindedly opened her eyes in surprise, mostly because of what he was doing, but Mitchie took it as a reaction to what she was saying. "Yeah, I'm surprised, too." She sighed, adjusting her beanie. "But Caitlyn is right. I know Alex, and worst of it, I know myself. I know if I go out with her I will end up getting too attached, again. And once she leaves, because she will, it will hurt, more than it did the first time. And I can't let that happen, right?" Shane nodded and Mitchie smiled. "You're not even listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

Shane finally looked away from the computer, scratching his beard with a little smile on his face. "I'm sorry, I am listening, I just also am concentrated on this." He looked back to his computer. "I think you should just do what _you _want to do, not what Caitlyn wants you to do."

"But you know Caitlyn only wants the best for me–"

"And she always turns overprotective." Shane interrupted. "I know you both come together a long way, but she's not your mother, Mitch. You should be able to judge by yourself if this girl is good to have around or not."

"I don't know, dude. I did that once and I was wrong."

Shane shrugged. "To the contrary of what Caitlyn could believe, I know people change, I have seen it. So, you see it."

Mitchie narrowed her eyes for a moment and Shane looked at her expressionless. After a moment, Mitchie blinked and looked down, taking her phone out.

"I hate when you're right." Mitchie murmured and Shane smiled, as the brunette looked for Alex's number on her phone.

"What are you going to tell her?" Shane asked.

" I don't know, to be honest." Mitchie responded, scratching the tip of her nose.

"Well, I guess calling her is a start."

Mitchie wasn't really sure of what was it about Alex that made her feel so confused and sometimes, even nervous. They hadn't seen each other in five years; she shouldn't feel bad at all for not accepting her proposition. But that was just the effect Alex always had on her. When they met, Mitchie was instantly attracted by the way Alex could be really childish but really mature, even sometimes wise, at the same time. Then, she got to meet the girl more and got comfortable enough around her to start trusting her in ways she'd only ever trust Caitlyn. And not long after that, a small crush started developing, crush that she kept hidden as deep inside as she could, because she was well aware of Alex's girlfriend. But Alex's personality, her looks, and those little things she would do without noticing, they all seemed to be attractive to Mitchie and she never understood why. And it seemed incredible how even after all that time, she still was thinking about it. Mitchie didn't know how much Alex had changed, she didn't even know if the girl was anything like she remembered her at all. And the curiosity was there, bothering her.

What was Alex Russo like now?

Alex picked up her phone after the second ring. _"Hey, did you change your mind?" _ Mitchie couldn't help but smile.

"You are not very patient, are you?"Mitchie whispered and looked up to Shane, who had gone back to whatever he was doing in his computer. They usually would spend their time like that; unless Shane had something he wanted Mitchie to record. She got up and walked out of the room.

"_You know me." _Alex responded, sounding a little enthusiastic.

Mitchie left out a small chuckle. "I really wouldn't say that."

"_I would." _Mitchie smiled._ "So, did you change your mind?_"

"Well, not completely. I still think you're a bit of an asshole." Mitchie admitted, making Alex laugh in the other line.

"_You have always thought that, so that's not so bad._"

"But I don't think you can be _that _bad. So, convince me, Russo." Alex stayed silent for a moment, being the sound of rush New York City was the only thing Mitchie could hear. "Tell me what you have in mind."

"_Do you work today?" _Alex asked randomly, disconcerting Mitchie.

"No, I'm at my friend Shane's studio."

"_Ha!_" Alex exclaimed unexpectedly, making Mitchie jump a little. "_I'm awesome._"

"What are you even talking about?"

"_I'm outside. Come meet me, we'll think of something._" Mitchie pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it, as she would have stared at Alex if she had her in front of her. How did she even…?

She pulled the phone back. "How do you even know where am I?"

Alex chuckled. "_The power of social networks._" Mitchie bit her lip. "_I might or not checked Harper's Facebook profile earlier today. She has Caitlyn added as a friend and you know how it is. You start looking at a profile and you end up in another._"

"So you were stalking me?" Mitchie said, raising an eyebrow, amused.

"_No, I wasn't stalking you. I was stalking your friends._"

"Well, at least you accept it."

"_Yeah, yeah. Come outside, I'll wait impatiently here." _And with that, Alex hung up.

Mitchie stayed there, holding her phone just a bit far from her ear, staring at nothing. Did Alex Russo seriously go look for her even after she said no? Was this really the same girl that stopped talking to her because her girlfriend didn't like her?

She sighed through her nose, putting the phone back into her pocket. "Don't make me regret this, Alex Russo." Mitchie whispered. She looked back, wondering if she should tell Shane were she was going. He probably wouldn't even notice; he was absorbed into his work. She took another deep breath and made her way to the exit. She really couldn't believe this was happening. She pushed the door, the cold autumn wind hitting her face, but she didn't mind. The door closed behind her and a girl that was close to the exit she has just gotten out from turned around, forming a lump in Mitchie's throat as soon as their eyes connected. And there she was, the girl Mitchie had cursed for a long time after their fall out. The girl she promised herself she'd never talk to again. The girl that still, after all that time, could make her hands shake just by looking at her. And that girl smiled, brightly.

"Mitchie." The girl said. Mitchie swallowed the lump in her throat. And her heart started beating faster. And she hated herself for it.

This couldn't end well. "Hi."


	4. Breathless

**Hello! **

**This is a fast update, I know. Time is in my hands, that's my argument. However, it's short, but I hope you like it. You guys should review! I love to see this is actually getting visits and all, but I would love if you told me what you think about it. So, leave a review or tweet me at HeyThereDelena and just let me know what you think. I'd love you more than I already do if you did that. **

**So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I do own the plot, so there is that. **

* * *

**Chapter IV: Breathless**

Something inside Mitchie's mind couldn't believe what she was seeing. There she was, Alex Russo, with her long and straight dark hair down to her chest, wearing a beige coat and a Moroccan red scarf over it, her hands inside her pockets, bright smile on her face and Mitchie couldn't believe it.

Still beautiful, still taller.

"You look fantastic," Mitchie heard Alex say, automatically looking down at what she was wearing. Her black coat, an old t-shirt, her favorite pair of blue jeans and boots.

"I–I guess, yeah." She mumbled and Alex chuckled.

"And I still make you nervous, it seems." Mitchie raised her eyebrow, as she walked towards Alex. The other girl kept her smile.

"Now that's just your ego talking, you don't," Mitchie replied. "Anyone would think that by now, it would have exploded a long time ago." Mitchie stood in front of Alex and the New Yorker wrinkled her nose, still smiling. "Nah, it just expands."

Mitchie rolled her eyes, being unable to suppress a smile this time. "It's been such a long time and you might never change, huh?"

Alex chuckled again, looking down for a second. Then, she connected her eyes with the shorter girl again. "I really am glad to see you."

Mitchie's smile grew, briefly. She tapped Alex's forearm with her hand and walked past her. "Let's go before I change my mind."

Alex bit her upper lip, still smiling, looking at Mitchie walking away, slowly but steady. "Let's go, then." She whispered and followed Mitchie.

Alex never really expected Mitchie to say yes. She was prepared for the worst, yet she seemed to be receiving the best. This was the universe telling her not to screw it up this time. However, being prepared for the worst, she hadn't really planned anything in case Mitchie were to say yes to her invitation. What was she going to do? She sort of had to impress the older girl so she wouldn't take back the opportunity she was giving her. But how to do it? Well, with Mitchie, it had always been about one thing: simplicity. So, once she caught up to Mitchie, they walked side by side through the streets of New York, in a comfortable silence between them. The city was loud and busy as every day, but there was something in the silence they were sharing that made it all seem quiet. Like once of those moments when no matter what's around you, everything feels just fine.

"So you and Caitlyn remained close." Alex started after a while, looking at the girl next to her. Mitchie flicked her hair off her shoulder and slightly nodded.

"Just like you and Harper."

Alex shrugged. "Harper and I don't know how not to be friends, to be honest. She has been there all my life; I really can't imagine how it would be if she wasn't there," Alex responded, staring at the slow movement of the clouds above the tall skyscrapers. She continued talking; telling Mitchie about her friendship with Harper, but Mitchie dozed out for a moment. She looked at Alex, paying as much attention as possible. She needed to read the signs to stop her from being a fool in that moment, in case this was another of Alex Russo's games. However, it wasn't long enough before she started noticing what she shouldn't have. Physically, Alex hadn't changed that much. Her features were still delicate, soft. She still looked like the kind of person that for some reason would make you feel the need to talk to her and the way her lips moved while she talked still was kind of distracting. Nevertheless, every time she would smile, there was something hiding behind it.

Nobody did actually know, but Mitchie had always been a good observer and back in the day, the one thing she liked to do was observing Alex, no matter how creepy that sounded, because Alex was an enigma to anyone that had ever come across her. Alex liked to always be smiling, always be joking, but, every time, Mitchie would notice how her eyes would never flick at anything. It was really and completely rare to get a good, genuine smile out of Alex Russo and Mitchie knew, because she had gotten a few. And she still remembered every single one of them. Although Alex hated when people knew more things about her that what she liked to share, Mitchie had always been aware of how much the New Yorker had to hide, things that maybe Harper herself never knew about it. But she'd never know, because pressuring Alex Russo was one of those things you didn't do –It never worked. If she wanted you to know something about her, she'd tell you. If not, then, sorry, but you weren't ever going to know.

"… I'd really think I'd be a disaster without Harper, to be honest." Mitchie heard Alex finish, taking her out of her thoughts. She smiled, trying to pretend she had listened to what the other girl was saying, hoping Alex wouldn't notice.

Thankfully, she seemed clueless. "Caitlyn and I, to the difference of you and Harper, argue a lot, but we wouldn't be Caitlyn and Mitchie if it wasn't that way. I guess it's always different."

"Yeah, I agree," Alex said, looking back to Mitchie. "I mean, we never fought."

Mitchie scoffed. "We avoided our problems, which is different."

"No," Alex denied, shaking her head side to side as she did so. "We didn't like to stay mad at each other."

That annoyed Mitchie. "Yet we still managed to not talk to each other for five years," Mitchie said, stopping in her tracks in the middle of the streets. Alex stopped too, sighing, clearly frustrated. She expected something like this, yes she did, but it still was bothering her. Just one comment and it all the minutes they had spent in peace were down the drain. "It seems really contradicting to me, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry, alright?" Alex said, exasperated. "I know it was my fault and I'm sorry, but you never tried to do something about it either, so you need to stop making it seem as it was my entire fault because it wasn't!"

Mitchie grimaced, irritated. "What would have been the point, anyway? You didn't care. The only thing you wanted was your precious little girlfriend and you didn't care about anything else. you didn't care about what you were doing, who you were hurting as long as your fucking girlfriend was happy. You would have blown me off if I had gone to you and tried to talk to you, just like you did with everything else!"

Alex ran her fingers through her hair. "I was a fucking teenager! I barely knew what I was doing! She was my girlfriend and I had to please her!"

"And I was you friend and I deserved to be treated as one not just another person that you would see in the street and never talk to again!"

What Mitchie didn't know was that Alex had spent just as much time as she did trying to understand her, and while Mitchie Torres still remained a mystery to the New Yorker; she had learned a few things. And right there, when she was yelling at her, she was sure of what she had to do. A few people passed them by, rushing to whatever they had to do, yet the time stopped for Alex. She took a deep breath, being completely aware that she could end up injured because of it; she went on and wrapped her arms around Mitchie, tightly. Mitchie's yelling stopped, but she tried to push Alex away for a few moments. She could feel the tiny shorter girl fighting against her embrace –she didn't want to fall for it, for the warmth Alex could give her. She didn't want to trust her again. Nevertheless, she couldn't resist after what appeared like years to the young Russo. She felt Mitchie slowly relaxing in her embrace and not long after, the hug was returned. The brunette rested her head on Alex's shoulder and sighed.

"I'm sorry," Mitchie whispered and Alex smiled, resting her head on top of Mitchie's. She wasn't that much taller, but it worked out.

"I'm sorry, too."

From that moment on, nothing about that matter that had kept them away from each other for so long needed to be said. They came to a silent agreement of letting it behind and looking ahead, because there was no need to look back at old wounds. They had been covered a long time ago, anyway. They were now just two known strangers, trying to discover each other, again. That way, the rest of the afternoon was filled with questions that had been asked before; walking down that gigantic park Mitchie had loved for as long as she could remember. A park she once had told Alex she'd love to visit. She might had a lot of time visiting it, but doing it for the first time with Alex was nicer than she ever thought it would. For the day, they were teenagers again, not having any other worries but trying not to forget the information that was being given about each other back and forth.

The rest would come when it had to.

After exploring a significant part of Central Park, enjoying the wonderful autumn weather and talking like if there was no tomorrow, Alex took Mitchie home, hoping with all her faith Caitlyn wouldn't be there –Mitchie had told her about it and she could be taller, but there wasn't anything scarier than Caitlyn being upset. And Mitchie laughed a lot after being told.

"She's going to be really pleased to hear that." Mitchie said with a laugh, as they walked down the hallway of the floor Mitchie's apartment was in.

Alex rubbed her cheek, uncomfortable. "Does she really hate me that much?" Mitchie stopped at the door Alex assumed was her apartment and started unlocking the door as the other girl watched.

"No, she doesn't. It's not in Caitlyn to hate people." Mitchie said, and once the door was unlocked, she looked back to Alex, before opening it. "She just doesn't like you and has been waiting for an opportunity to kick your ass."

Alex swallowed, loudly and Mitchie chuckled at her silliness, opening the door. "Cait?" She called, her happiness being noticeable in her voice. She got no response and Alex relaxed. Mitchie raised an eyebrow, and took her phone out of her pocket, looking at the hour. "It's almost eight, she should be here." She whispered, more to herself than anything. Alex waited in silence. "I guess she's having dinner with her parents tonight."

Alex started at Mitchie, surprised. "How do you know?"

Mitchie shrugged, resting it importance. "It's Thursday. Her mother likes to have her over on Thursdays all day, which is why I was with Shane. She just usually skips dinner. Dinners are our time."

Alex nodded in understanding and Mitchie rested her shoulder on the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, thanks for today. It was really nice." Alex smiled, putting her hands inside her coat's pockets like she'd always do.

"Thanks for accepting." Alex replied. "Can I guess this means we get to be friends again?"

Mitchie looked down, biting her lip. Then, she looked up and smirked. Something inside Alex stopped as she did that, but she tried to keep it cool. "I guess so, yeah."

The New Yorker grinned, hoping her voice wouldn't betray her. "Good."

"Good." Mitchie repeated, still smirking.

Alex shifted on her feet, nervous. "So, can I see you tomorrow?" Mitchie raised both of her eyebrows, surprised. Alex Russo was never one to ask for things. She was the kind of girl that if she wanted something she'd get it, point being proved earlier that day. But standing there, in front of Mitchie, she felt like a defenseless little child and she didn't know why she was so nervous. And the worst of it was how much Mitchie was noticing.

"Give me a call tomorrow, and we'll see."

Alex licked the back of her teeth. "O–Okay." She babbled and cursed herself internally for doing so.

Mitchie's smirk couldn't be bigger. It actually was more of a grin by that moment. "Goodnight, Alex." And with no warning whatsoever, Mitchie moved from the door frame and leaned in, slightly standing on her toes and giving Alex a quick peck on the cheek. Before she could register what had happened, Alex's face turned a shade of red it had never turned before, a lump forming in her throat.

Her heart was going to get out of her chest. "Goo–Goodnight, Mitch."

Pleased with the reaction obtained, Mitchie walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her. Alex stood there, speechless and red-faced, surprised. Way too surprised, in fact. She had always known about the Alex Effect, which seemed to be useless the entire afternoon. But, The Mitchie Effect?

"Damn it." She mumbled, breathlessly. The raven haired girl blinked a couple of times, trying to come out of her trance. "I don't blush." She covered her face, still not believing it. "I don't blush." She repeated, but little did she know, that wasn't going to be the last time.


	5. Just Friends

**Hello! **

**I'm sorry this took me so long, I have this slight Grey's Anatomy obsession and I've been watching it nonstop so yeah. Anyway, here's the chapter. I hope you like it! Let me know by reviewing and stuff. **

**Enjoy!**

******Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I do own the plot, so there is that. **

* * *

**Chapter V: Just Friends**

"You can't date her."

With time passing way too fast, Alex and Mitchie had gotten closer than they initially thought they would. A few months in and they would hang out more often than they did with their respective best friends and while Harper didn't mind –She had work up her head– Caitlyn certainly did. Mitchie was trying her best to not break the routines Caitlyn and her had built over the years, but every time it would get harder to keep them. Time with Alex was never enough and neither of them would keep track of it. So, when Caitlyn found herself eating dinner alone more than once, she knew she had had enough.

"What?" Mitchie made it home half an hour after Caitlyn had served dinner. Therefore, she was pissed. She hated cooking. Out of pure fear of getting yelled at, Mitchie remained as quiet as she could, as she served herself a plate of food and took her seat in front of her best friend. Caitlyn stayed silent and Mitchie thought she was saved. Only the silent treatment for night, she thought. Nevertheless, once Caitlyn finished her meal, she took her glass of wine and stared at Mitchie for a while. Then, she spoke, confusing the hell out of her.

"You can't date her." Caitlyn repeated, staring at her glass as she made slow circle movements with it, the red liquid moving side to side.

"Who says I want to date her?" Mitchie replied, looking down at her food the whole time. She couldn't look at Caitlyn in the eye this time. And Caitlyn knew.

"Everyone who has seen you with her in the last couple of months." Caitlyn's voice wasn't usually cold. Not when she talked to Mitchie, at least. However, in that moment, the brunette could feel the coldness so much it was making her shiver, like if someone had opened the window in the middle of winter.

"Well..." Mitchie started, her voice shaking a little. "I-I don't."

"Stop lying to yourself, Michelle." Mitchie swallowed. Caitlyn would never call her Michelle. Not even her mother would call her Michelle. "But you can't, because you haven't been truthful to her."

Mitchie raised both her eyebrows in bewilderment. "Pardon?"

"Everybody thinks you're dating. Everybody. I wouldn't be surprised if Alex herself thought you're close to it. But you can't and you know why. And you haven't told her. Nor do I think you plan on to."

Mitchie blinked, holding her fork firmly. "You know that it-"

"Even if it isn't serious, it's there. And you can't keep on hiding it when it's there." Caitlyn took a sip of her wine. "It's not fair."

"I thought you didn't–"

"I don't." Caitlyn interrupted her, again. "Never have, never will. But it's not fair."

Mitchie sighed. "Fine."

Caitlyn continued staring at her glass, making Mitchie really nervous with that simple action. "I'm throwing a party next week. Bring her in."

"What? Don't you think that'd be–"

"Everyone's coming; they'd be really bummed if she wasn't here. So, bring her." With nothing else to add, Caitlyn got up and finished her wine, putting her glass on the sink and walking into her room in silence, leaving a very confused Mitchie behind.

"I'm so fucked." Mitchie whispered to herself, sighing.

xxx

For what seemed the longest of times, Alex seemed to be questioning everything going on a lot more than she should, her life becoming into a lot of whys. Why did the only mention of Mitchie Torres name make her smile from ear to ear? Why did she have picked up the habit to take pictures of the moon just to have an excuse to text Mitchie after being with her for hours? Why had she turned down so many dates with pretty and intelligent girls that she would have liked a lot? And most importantly, why was Mitchie the first and the last thing she'd think of every day?

A lot of people around her seemed to know the answer, being Harper the very first one to tease her about it. Forget the Alex Effect; it was something that didn't exist anymore. It was all about the Mitchie effect now. However, it was something Alex didn't want to accept. For her, everything was just a part of having someone that made her happy in her life, including the teasing. There wasn't anything else behind it, there couldn't be.

"It's just ridiculous, really. We're just friends." She'd tell anyone who was willing to listen after they insinuated it. "Why can't two girls that like girls just be friends? That's pretty much the same thing as saying men and women can't be friends. Ridiculous, I tell you."

Most people would let it go after that, because Alex would rant about the right of people to have whoever they wanted to have as friends and it could get pretty annoying. But Harper was not most people and for the first time when it came to that subject, she wasn't having it. "I'm not saying two girls who like girls can't be just friends." Harper said, as she cleaned the counter in front of her, Alex sitting in front of it with a coffee in her hand, just like every morning. "I'm just saying Alex Russo and Mitchie Torres can't be just friends." Alex raised an eyebrow at her. "Therefore why your ex-girlfriend, Miley Stewart, had so much trouble with your friendship with her."

"I'm calling that bullshit."

Harper shrugged. "Just think about it, Lex. Mitchie was the only one, I repeat, the only one; Miley ever had a problem with. She wasn't that much of a jealous girlfriend because everybody knew how idiotized she had you, including Miley."

"Idiotized?!" Alex exclaimed, slightly offended.

"Yeah, yeah, get over it." Harper replied, brushing it off. "My point is, Mitchie was never rude to Miley, and they even were friends at some point. Miley just knew."

"Knew what, exactly, you apparent love expert?"

"What you don't want to accept. You like Mitchie, you always have liked her. The Alex Effect existed, because you liked Mitchie."

Alex scoffed. "That makes no sense whatsoever!"

"If you weren't such a flirt with her, there wouldn't have existed the Alex Effect." Alex opened her mouth to reply but Harper stopped her by putting her finger in the air. "And don't tell me you're a natural flirt because even when you are, you were way too sweet and different when it came to flirting with her."

"Because she was my friend." Alex defended herself.

"You're just not going to see it. Like I said, Miley had you idiotized." Alex glared at her. "However, no matter how much you want to deny it now, you have a thing for Mitchie. For god's sakes, that girl makes you blush!"

"Oh my god, shut up, Harper!"

Harper smirked. "I mean, I'm all up for it. Mitchie Russo sounds fantastic. Or would it be Alex Torres? 'Cause that's not so bad either. Your pick."

"If it wasn't because you would probably make me pay for this," Alex started, motioning to her coffee. "I'd smack your hand really hard right now for that."

"Why are you so against the idea of liking Mitchie, Alex? This girl is perfect for you."

"Exactly because of that, Harper. She is just exactly what I need in my life. And relationships are messy and they ruin perfect friendships. Why to complicate things when they are perfect the way they are?"

"Because, Alex, at some point we will stop being in our twenties. And ideas will change. At some point, family making will come up. Real jobs, move out, get a house on our own. Get married, have kids, you know how it is. And friendships will fail. You and Mitchie can't be just friends and the fall out happened once. I'm sure you will be very disappointed when circumstances make it happen again and she doesn't get to make you happy anymore." Alex looked down, because that was true. She hated it, but it was true. "So, Mitchie Russo. I like it better."

Harper winked at Alex and got into the kitchen to clean up the utilities needed for the day, leaving her best friend really confused.

* * *

_"Why don't we write a song together?"_

_The unbearable heat of the summer in Texas had both, Alex and Mitchie, lying on the cold ground of Mitchie's roof. They had blankets next to them, just in case it were to get chilly, but for the moment they were just fine, just lying there looking at the stars, like they had been doing a lot that summer._

_"I'm not exactly a songwriter, you know that." Alex replied._

_"It's not that hard, come on. It'd be fun."_

_"We don't even have a guitar here, Mitch."_

_"We'll use our imagination." Alex looked to her right, half of a smile plastered on her face._

_"Are you serious?" Mitchie looked back at her, grin on her face._

_"Very serious."_

_Alex sighed, chuckling softly. "Let's do it then." She looked back to the stars. "How's it going to start?'_

_"Umm..." Mitchie clearer her throat. "_There she goes again, the girl I'm in love with._" She sang, making Alex look back at her with a smirk on her face. " _It's cool, we're just friends_."_

_"That sounds like a well-structured line to me; you're a natural, huh?"_

_Mitchie giggled. "I've had it in my head for a while now."_

_"Alright, let me think." Alex drummed her fingers on her stomach for like a minute. "I have no idea, Mitch."_

_"Okay, think about a situation that goes along with the line I said."_

_"I can only think of when Miley and were friends, I don't know."_

_Mitchie sighed, slightly annoyed by the mention of Alex's girlfriend. She got up and sat, crossing her legs Indian style. "Alright and how was it?"_

_"Well, we used to run into each the hallways of school and talk for a couple of minutes before the bell rang."_

_"What do you think of...?" She cleared her throat again. _"We walk the halls at school, we know it's casual._"_

_"_It's cool we're just friends."_ Alex continued, repeating what Mitchie had said before with a hint of a laugh on her voice. Then she smiled, because Mitchie looked excited. There was a glow on her face, a sparkle in her eyes that showed she did in fact love writing songs. But Alex knew that already._

"I don't wanna lead you on, but the truth is I've grown fond._" Alex whispered, not really thinking._

_Mitchie smiled, bigger. "That was very nice!"_

_"Was it?" Alex said, blinking._

_"Yeah, maybe you're a natural, too."_

_Alex pulled Mitchie's hands. "Lie down again, I feel weird looking at you like that."_

xxx

Just like she found herself that morning at Harper's job with a coffee in her hands, she found herself at Nate's job with a drink in between her hands, waiting for Mitchie to show up. The youngest Gray was from the few friends of Mitchie who didn't particularly care about the Alex situation, but unlike Caitlyn he didn't find the need to be rude to her, especially not when she looked so distraught.

"Hey." Nate said, making Alex look up and give her a faint smile. "Everything okay? You look kind of... off."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Alex replied. "Just thinking, that's all."

Nate nodded. "Well, I know we don't know each other that much but, you know, any friend of Mitchie is my friend, so if you need anything, just... let me know."

Alex's smile returned. "Thanks, I really appreciate it." She said and looked back to her drink.

Nate made another slight head movement and continued cleaning the counter, staying close to her, in case she was to tell him something. After a while, knowing he probably looked a little ridiculous cleaning the same spot over and over again, he decided to go do something else but just when he was about to leave the counter, Alex looked up from her drink, the distraught look back on her face.

"Can I ask you something?" Alex said, sounding shy. Taken by surprise with the sudden tone change, he opened his eyes a little more.

"Ye–yeah." He said, moving his head again, his curls bouncing as he did so.

Alex sighed. "Is it possible to like someone without knowing you do?"

Nate raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You know, like everyone being sure you like someone, that maybe you have always liked someone, but not being able to see it yourself."

Nate placed both of his hands on the counter, having an idea of where this was heading. It had been the most talked topic between Shane and Mitchie, Nate's brother being convinced she still had a thing for Alex and Mitchie denying it as much as she possibly could. "Well, sometimes it's just denial."

"Denial?"

"Yeah. Some part of us knows, probably since the very first moment, that we liked that someone but we couldn't allow ourselves to think like that. So, we deny it to ourselves so much hoping that at some point, we will believe it or it will go away."

"But what if I never saw it that way? What if I just thought it was… fraternal love?"

Nate shrugged. "Maybe you just weren't looking close enough." He leaned a little over the counter. "You see, with these things, it is or it isn't. And if people around you say you like this… _person,_" Alex raised an eyebrow at the tone Nate used to say person. "It might mean they're looking at something you're not."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, it usually is all about the details. You just have to really look at it." He said and someone in the other side of the counter called him for a drink. He gave Alex a quick smile and walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts again.

It's all about the details, but she was the kind of person to just look at the big picture. But when she'd think of Texas, her mind wouldn't go back to the day she had the courage to tell Miley she loved her for the first time; it would always go back to all those nights stargazing with Mitchie. She'd think of the days she saw Mitchie sitting next to her on her car, driving in the heat of summer, singing to the top of their lungs some crappy pop song on the radio, laughing together. And every time her mind would wander to that past, she'd smile. Things had changed, that was true. But when Alex was with Mitchie, everything felt the way it was supposed to be. It had done it then, when they were teenagers, and it did now, when they'd drive to Mitchie's apartment under the tall buildings and the shining lights, when she'd try to make the brunette sing and she'd just smile and look out of the window. And maybe, that was the only thing she knew.

It felt right.

"Hey, sorry for being late." The girl Alex was thinking of said, taking her out of her thoughts, as she took a sit next to her on the counter. "There was a lot of traffic and you know how it is."

"Yeah." Alex said, looking at Mitchie as she took off her coat and placed it on the empty seat on her right. "I do know how it is now."

"What?" Mitchie said, looking back at Alex with a confused look. The other girl just smiled.

"Nothing." She said, taking her drink and proceeding to drink it. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Well, first I have something to tell you." Mitchie said, as she made a sign to Nate to bring her a drink.

"What is it?" Alex asked, smile still on her face.

"Well, I think I haven't been totally honest with you." Nate came with the drink, placing it in front of Mitchie and smiling at Alex, again. "And we are friends, so I should tell you this."

The boy left and Alex's heart started to pound inside her chest, losing her smile and being replaced by a nervous look on her face. There was no denying now, was it? "What is it?" She repeated and Mitchie sighed.

"I…" Mitchie said, holding the 'I'. She took her drink and held it just like Alex had done a few minutes before, with both of her hands and staring at it. "Have a boyfriend."

Alex blinked, taken by surprise. Of all things… "What?" She said, not believing it.

"His name is Jake. It's not serious, really, he's not in New York most of the time, but we've been dating for a long time now. I don't know why I didn't tell you. I'm sorry."

Alex blinked, again, with not much to say. What she was going to say, anyway? Just because it felt right for her to be around Mitchie, it didn't mean Mitchie still felt that way and she was a fool for even thinking she did. Why would she? However, it felt like a paper cut. So fast, she didn't even notice it and before she knew, everything was making that small and invisible wound hurt. And she wished she didn't have discovered just now the way she felt about Mitchie.

"Why are you apologizing?" Alex said, trying her best to keep her smile. "It's cool, I mean, we're just friends, right?"

"Yeah." Mitchie said, nodding. "Friends."

And just like a paper cut, that word was something nobody would ever see how much it could possibly burn.

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**hehehehehe. Don't hate me. And yes, I was listening to the Jonas Brothers when I wrote this. Psh. Review :)**


	6. It Had to Be You

**Again, this took longer than expected but inspiration left me for a couple of days. I'm not exactly sure of how I feel about this chapter and I think I'm getting a bit boring, but be patient with me. We'll get there. **

**If you have any comment, you can either review, send me a pm or tweet me at HeyThereDelena. ****Thanks for all the readers, favorites, follows and reviews I'm getting. All of you are very, very appreciated. **

**Enjoy!. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I do own the plot, so there is that.**

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**Chapter VI: **

**It Had to Be You**

No matter how much we pretend it's not that way, we always need of someone to keep up sane. Usually, this person is called our best friend. This person knows us better than we know ourselves sometimes and they always have the right words to say. In fact, they also know when words aren't needed. This person is the one we go to in times of trouble, the first name that comes up in our minds when something good happens. It's someone who makes us smile, someone who encourages us to be stupid and laugh about life. Simply, it's someone we're lucky to have in our lives.

Naturally, when your heart gets broken, this is the first person you're going to look for. And they might threaten to hit the one who broke your heart, maybe just sit and listen to you. Or maybe, they will knock on your door after they get your call, with a bag of all your favorite junk food and a bottle of booze for you to forget, even if it is just for a little while.

Alex was completely glad she got that kind of best friend when she opened the door. "Tell me all about it, Lex." Harper said letting herself in, placing both, the bag and the bottle, on the dining table.

"She has a boyfriend." Alex's simply responded as she closed the door, still being unable to believe it.

"She's still dating Jake Bennett?" Harper said, clearly surprised. Alex walked to her dining table and took the bottle as her best friend took over the couch, placing her feet on the coffee table.

"You knew about him and didn't tell me?!" Alex exclaimed, a little indignant.

Harper shrugged. "He's irrelevant, I have seen him like twice in my life." Alex walked to Harper's left and instead of sitting on the couch next to her; she sat on the floor, crossing her legs. "I wouldn't even call that a relationship."

Alex sighed, opening the bottle. "Well, she does." She said, bitterly and taking a long sip from the burning liquor. "This sucks so much."

"What are you going to do about it?" Harper said, getting up from the couch and sitting on the floor with Alex, her back against the couch.

"Sing Eric Carmen's All by Myself, drink and cry, probably."

Harper chuckled. "Come on, you can't give up now. He's just a guy."

"I bet she told me because she probably realized of my intentions and didn't want to get my hopes up, so yes, I'm giving up."

"How could she realize of that if, according to you, you realized just before she talked to you?" Harper said, taking the bottle from Alex's hands and taking a sip herself.

Alex shrugged. "She has eye for detail."

Harper shook her head in disagreement. "Not when it comes to you, for some reason she prefers to be blind."

Alex scoffed. "How are you even that sure? It's not like you guys are besties or anything."

"I have eye for detail, too, Lex." Alex looked back to her best friend for a moment. Then, she took the bottle back.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. She has a boyfriend."

Harper sighed, leaning against the couch. Alex continued drinking, as she turned around a little to look at the junk food in the table that she was too lazy to get up for. As a result of that laziness, they stayed like that for a while, Harper looking for the right words to say and Alex trying not to think about it anymore. For her, the situation was unfair in all ways possible. She wasn't mad at Mitchie for not telling her sooner – She was mad at herself for believing she still had a chance. Not only had they drifted apart but years had gone by and it was only natural Mitchie would have moved on in that time. It had been silly of her for thinking it wasn't that way and it sucked.

"You know," Alex heard her best friend start saying, slowly. "You're doing the same thing she did back then."

Alex looked at Harper, confusion all over her face. "What?"

"When she discovered how idiotized you were by Miley…"

"And you keep using that word!" Alex interrupted with disdain, but the redhead ignored her.

"… She simply gave up. She said and I quote 'If she's happy, I'm happy' when it clearly was the biggest lie I heard her say." Harper looked back to Alex. "She was anything but happy."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Giving up on Mitchie won't bring anything good for you. So, don't."

Alex moved her long dark hair out of her view with a slow nod. "But, Harper, what am I supposed to do? I can't just go and kiss her or pour out my feelings to her. It's not right."

Harper pulled her sweater a little, adjusting it. "I don't know, but you'll figure it out." She smiled. "When it comes to Mitchie, you always do."

Alex stared at her best friend, who held her stare just as firmly. Then, the young Russo lifted the bottle and took another sip.

xxx

_Meet me in Central Park at 6. Same place as always. _

Once Alex knew about Jake, Mitchie barely heard from her in the following weeks. After a couple of months of having daily contact, the brunette couldn't help but feel like something was missing. However, the first time this thought crossed her mind; she couldn't help but want to kick herself. Feeling like that, like she _needed _Alex around was the situation she was trying to avoid from the very beginning. So, in her attempt to stop feeling like that, she completely ignored the feeling of the missing piece that Alex seemed to be in the puzzle her life was. She didn't call, she didn't text, and she ignored the thought itself of Alex as much as she could. And it was working, until Alex texted her. The wall she was building came crashing down and at 5:45, Mitchie was anxiously walking in the surrounding area of Central Park, trying not to run to the spot she was going to meet Alex in fifteen minutes. She tried to calm herself – anxiety in a moment like that was the last thing she needed. She stopped in her tracks and took out her tangled earphones from one of her jeans' pockets and calmly started untangling them, wondering how could those things end up so messed up just by being on her pocket. Then, she took out her phone and looked into her music, trying to find something that was long enough for her to listen until 6. She sighed as she pressed play on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which wasn't only long enough but was going to help to calm her nerves. Mitchie closed her eyes and let the sound of the piano take over her mind, the soft sound of every note in the first movement bringing a warm sensation to her body. If anyone ever asked why she loved music, there was the reason. There always would be a song to soothe her, to make her feel what she needed to feel. And one day, she hoped to help someone feel that way with her music.

Halfway through the third movement, she opened her eyes and looked at the hour on her phone.

"Damn you, Alexandra." She murmured to herself, staring at the screen. "Damn you." She put the phone back onto her pocket and made her way to the usual spot she'd meet Alex in, as slowly as she could. She wanted to be there in time, but she didn't want to seem too punctual.

It was all about keeping it casual. However, sooner than later, she found herself a few steps away from Alex, who was casually sitting on a bench, anxiously tapping her knees with her hands, some sort or rhythm in each movement she'd do. Mitchie took out the earphones and let them hang on her shirt. "Alex." She called, making the New Yorker look up.

Alex grinned. "Hey, you." Was the cheerful response. "It's good to see you."

Mitchie gave her a small smile, sitting next to her on the bench. "Where have you been lately, huh? I haven't heard from you in like two weeks."

"Let's say I've been around."

Mitchie scoffed. "Of course you were." Alex chuckled and Mitchie placed her hand on Alex's knee, looking at her straight into her eyes. "What's going on?"

Alex frowned. "What makes you think something's wrong? Nothing's wrong." She replied, hoping Mitchie wouldn't notice the nervous tone in her voice. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"I wouldn't if it was just me who you're not talking to but you're apparently avoiding everyone."

"I just didn't feel like dealing with people, I don't know." Mitchie nodded, clearly not believing her. "So, how's Jake?"

The brunette shifted in her place, taking her hand from Alex's knee and placing on her lap, uncomfortable. "He–He's fine, I guess. He's in San Francisco, I think."

"You guess?" Alex said, raising her eyebrow. "Isn't he your boyfriend?"

"He is, I just don't… see him much, you know, he's a busy guy."

"How did you meet him, anyway?"

"You know, Caitlyn's family is very wealthy and they attend all these fancy parties and receptions. Caitlyn hates all of them, but she's the only child so she has to attend. I normally go with her." Mitchie explained. "I met him in one of them, like two years ago. We talked all night and somewhere along the drinks and food we exchanged numbers. We went out a couple times and then we made it kind of official." She sounded so unenthusiastic. "He's going to take over of his father's company in a few years, so he's all over the place trying to learn as much as he can. He's barely here and our relationship has never been serious. We text, we talk and sometimes even Skype, but you know, long distance relationships are difficult."

Alex scratched the top of her head, a little confused. "Well, if you made it to two years already, I believe you'll make it just fine."

Mitchie rested her head on Alex's shoulder and the New Yorker held her breath for a moment. "We'll see."

Alex left out the breath she was holding and they stayed like that for a moment. Reality was that Mitchie had a long time trying to break up with Jake, but whenever he'd come around she would never find the words to say. Caitlyn didn't like him, but she never had a problem with him. However, after Mitchie expressed her desire to call it quits with him, Caitlyn started pressuring her to do it, because she didn't believe in keeping relationships out of habit. As usual, Mitchie didn't listen and Caitlyn would get annoyed every time, thinking she wasn't being fair with Jake, this intensifying with Alex's return to her life. Even Mitchie had to admit, her best friend could be really annoying.

"Hey, look at that, the moon looks pretty tonight." Alex pointed out, as the Earth's natural satellite brightly shone in the sky.

Mitchie looked up and smiled. "Waning Gibbous."

The slightly taller girl looked back at Mitchie, confused. "What?"

She giggled. "It's the phase after full moon. It looks like a full moon, but there's a part of it that isn't illuminated."

"How do you even remember that stuff?"

"It's my favorite thing in the world, Alex, why wouldn't I remember?"

Alex smiled, looking carefully at Mitchie's delicate features. She didn't know if it was the moonlight or the park's lights or even the city lights that were illuminating Mitchie's face, but she looked as beautiful as ever. She wanted nothing but to kiss her soft-looking lips and find out if what she was feeling in that moment, or every other moment for the matter, was as true as it seemed to be. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Mitchie asked, softly smiling.

Alex slightly shrugged. "You look beautiful." Mitchie opened her eyes in surprise, a slight shade of pink appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh, come on."

"No, it's true. You are beautiful." Alex said, still smiling and looking at her. "You have always been beautiful."

Mitchie looked away, a little smile creeping on her face. "That's not true, but thank you. You're not so bad yourself, I suppose."

"It is true, though. I always thought you were beautiful."

"That's because we're friends."

"No, it's not that." Alex said, feeling her heart speeding inside her chest. "I just–," She looked down. "Mitch, I'm –I'm scared."

Mitchie's face turned confused by the sudden change of subject. "What?"

"I'm scared." Alex repeated, still looking down.

"Scared of what?"

"I've never been good at this." Alex continued. "I'll always find a way to mess things up and ruin all good in my life. I believe I'm not made for this."

Mitchie blinked, still confused. "Hold on, I think I got lost, what are you–"

"After Miley left, I convinced myself that I wasn't made for this." Mitchie blinked, again, catching up with what Alex was saying, a question invading her head in that instant. _What the hell was going on? _"I thought, if I can't make it work with her, my very first love, how was I going to make it work with anybody else?" Alex looked up, back to the moon. "So I didn't even try. I let time slip right between my fingers until I found myself feeling the loneliest I've ever felt."

"Alex, what are–"

"And then, Harper started setting up dates for me because she sees right through me, just like you do. But, you know how they say that the worst feeling is to feel lonely when you have people around you? It's true. It sucks, it really does. All those girls I was dating did nothing but make me feel lonelier, sometimes even empty." Alex looked back at Mitchie, whom still had look of confusion and slight fear on her face. "But one night, I saw you. You were in a restaurant, laughing with your friends. You looked so beautiful with the big smile of yours. And I wanted to go there where you were and talk to you." Mitchie opened her mouth to say something but Alex continued. "But I walked away, because it wasn't the moment. I didn't give up, though. I held to the thought of you and well, here we are. You're back in my life when reality is that you shouldn't be. I'm an asshole and I left back then, when we were younger, because I mess things up. You were that good thing I couldn't hold on to because I mess things up. I didn't want to mess you up like I did with Miley, I didn't want to hurt you. But at the end, I ended up hurting you more."

"Alex…"

"And I left because I was scared. Miley didn't like you because you can't deny you and I have some sort of connection that I can't even understand myself. Mitchie, you make happy without even trying. You always have. And when something good happens in my life, you're the first person I want to go to. You make me be silly, spontaneous, loving. And to be quite honest, I can't imagine nor I want to imagine a future without you in it." Alex swallowed the bump that was forming in her throat and took one of Mitchie's hands, while the other girl seemed to be in shock of what she was hearing. "And I know where I stand, I know I'm a little too late. But damn it, Mitchie, you're beautiful. Inside and out. And I blinded myself, trying to believe otherwise but I can't. You're beautiful and I can't not notice it." Alex brought Mitchie's hand up to her lips and kissed it, softly. Then, she let it go. "And I wanted you to know that I will continue noticing it, even when I might not stand a chance."

Mitchie found her voice somewhere in her suddenly dry throat. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Alex shrugged. "My first intention was to leave again and live to Caitlyn's expectations. But truth is, Mitch, I did change and I figured keeping this as a secret would be just… wrong. So, I'm telling you. I have feelings for you." Mitchie just didn't know what to do. Some part of her wanted to run away, the other wanted to yell at Alex for doing this to her. Nevertheless, she just couldn't move. "However, I know you have a boyfriend and I'm not going to get in between you and him if he's what you really want. I just wanted you to know, because Mitchie, I'm not walking away this time."

Alex held her chocolate stare into Mitchie's eyes, who still seemed too confused for her own liking. But when Alex texted Mitchie to meet her there, she was completely aware something like this was going to happen. There was no use into getting her hopes up. She was just listening to her best friend and not giving up.

"Alex, I–"

Alex sighed and leaned in, kissing Mitchie's forehead, softly. The brunette held her breath. "You don't have to say anything, alright?" Alex whispered. "I just wanted you to know." Not even giving her the time to respond, Alex got up, pulling Mitchie's hand and making her stand up as well. "Now let's go. We've got to visit the animal shelter and then take you home in time for dinner, we don't want problems."

"The animal shelter?" Mitchie asked, letting herself be pulled towards the exit of Central Park.

Alex nodded. "We're getting a puppy."

Mitchie raised an eyebrow. "We?"

Alex looked back to her, flashing Mitchie a smile, the fact that she still was holding Mitchie's hand not passing unnoticed. "Yes, we." She shrugged. "Life is better with a puppy, alright?"

And just like that, Mitchie felt sixteen again, when that girl holding her hand drove her into a point of mental craze. And maybe, she still could.


End file.
